The present invention relates to a viewing apparatus that simulates the impairing effect of an intoxicant by impairing a wearer's visual faculties.
Substantial effort is undertaken by educators, law enforcement personnel, safety promoting organizations, and the like to convince people, particularly young people, of the hazards associated with the state of being under the influence of intoxicants such as alcohol, legal, and illegal drugs. Impairment has particular ramifications while operating a motor vehicle. It is particularly challenging to provide a meaningful firsthand experience of the impairing effects of an intoxicant, in so far as one typically cannot induce impairment in a subject with the intoxicant and, even if one could, it would be improper to then ask the subject to operate a motor vehicle while impaired.
It is therefore desirable to provide an apparatus for simulating the effects of impairment on a subject under the influence of an intoxicant. One such apparatus is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,206,521 and includes a conventional goggle employing a fresnel lens that is said to distort the image to the user. However, the '521 patent does not provide various goggles to simulate corresponding varying degrees of impairment.
What is therefore desirable is to provide a viewing apparatus for simulating the effects of impairment on a subject under the influence of an intoxicant, where the apparatus can readily be employed in a controlled setting so as to not put the subject at risk, while at the same time effectively conveying varying degrees of impairment associated with intoxication or other sources of impairment including prescription drugs or drowsiness.